Rally Aims To Check AIDS

In honor of April Fool’s Day yesterday, members of the Harvard AIDS Coalition presented Senator John Kerry’s office with a giant 9 billion dollar check to show that AIDS is not a joke.

The Harvard activists comprised one branch of an April Fool’s Day campaign involving pranks by AIDS activist groups in New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Florida—all coordinated by the national AIDS and human rights activist group Health Global Access Project. HAC, accompanied by alumni and students from Harvard Medical School and Boston University, rallied in Bowdoin Square in front of Sen. Kerry’s office before going in to present the check and discuss AIDS funding with Sen. Kerry’s Foreign Relations staffer Chris Wyman.

“AIDS is not in recession! Teach Kerry a lesson!” shouted the group of activists as they circled the square in front of the office, shaking the three-by-six and a half foot check in time with their chant.

Passersby stared at the string of zeroes on the check and turned their heads to keep looking even when the students were far behind them.

“This is important because we’ve been pretty disappointed about the level of support the Obama administration and Senator Kerry have given to AIDS and issues of the global poor,” said Matthew F. Basilico ’08, who currently works in Paul Farmer’s office and will begin Harvard Medical School in the fall. “We think there’s a lot Senator Kerry can do as the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee to improve resources abroad and how they’re handled.”

Though Sen. Kerry was in Syria and could not be present, Foreign Relations staffer Chris Wyman ushered the members of HAC and other activists into the senator’s office for a question-and-answer session on global AIDS funding.

“The presentation of this check is a symbol of our hope that Senator Kerry will make this money real,” said Lulu R. Tsao ’12, a member of HAC and rally organizer. “We want to remind him of the urgency of funding these programs.”

Wyman did not hesitate to answer.

“You don’t need to tell me,” he said. “You just need to tell me how to convince other people.”

Though Congress and the Obama administration formally pledged to fully fund worldwide access to HIV drugs and other life-saving programs, their promise has fallen short by about $2.5 billion dollars.

“Senator Kerry is very supportive of this kind of funding, but the economy is not wonderful right now,” Wyman said. He added that he was doubtful that Sen. Kerry alone could garner much support in the Senate, especially from conservative members, but that creating partnerships with Republicans who support global AIDS funding would be an important step.

“I wish I could tell you we’ll just take care of it,” he said. “If there was a feasible way to get it done, he’d do it, or at least he’d try.”

Wyman and members of HAC agreed to remain in contact about potential supporters and how to move the fight for global AIDS funding forward.

“I appreciate your coming,” he said, shaking each student activist by the hand. “I appreciate your caring.”

—Staff writer Alice E. M. Underwood can be reached at aeunderw@fas.harvard.edu.